Rebirth of the Requiem
by L.J. Murder-Root
Summary: This is my version of what would happen on that fateful night Zwei/Reiji x Drei/Cal Rated M for Strong language, Graphic Violence, sexual content, and all that other good stuff :  bt-dubs, this is my first fanfic so please go easy on me and review
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Summary

Imagine if Reiji never left with Ein after the explosion at his house. Imagine that he was able to stay with Cal as he had wanted to. This story will be one of the many ways I would have made Phantom differently...though I admit that the ending was beautiful, them dying after Reiji fulfilled his promise to Ein, I literally almost cried cuz I loved all of the characters :'( well, That's life I guess.

btw this is a Reiji x Cal, for all the Ein x Zwei/ Erin x Reiji, I'm gonna do one of those next.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The billowing ash covered the night sky. Reiji looked at his burning apartment; tears ran down his cheeks "Cal!" he cried out. The girl he found, the girl he took in, and the girl he had trusted above all else.

He wiped the tears from his eyes. Four men in black suits ran out of the burning apartment building. Reiji pulled out his Beretta. The men started to fire at him. As the cascade of bullets grew closer to the young assassin, his senses heightened. Almost on instinct, he dogged bullet after bullet. The final bullet only slightly grazed one lock of the assassin's hair.

As the men had stopped firing to change magazines, Reiji started his assault. With every shot Reiji took, one of the men's lives was ended. Each of the hired guns hardly had time to let out one last cry of desperation, or pain.

As he closed in on the last man, the man had no time to think. Only one thing was the driving force of Reiji's actions, rage. Rage for the murderers who robed his beloved Cal of her life.

The Phantom looked just as his name implied nothing more than a silhouetted creature because of the almost inhuman speed at which Reiji ran.

The man closed his eyes, and fired every last bullet from the clip. When his opened his eyes, nobody stood in front of him. He could hardly believe he, the Phantom who he had attempted to kill, left him unscathed.

As he turned round, he stared into the cold, dead eyes of the Phantom whom he had failed to assassinate. Before the man could scream, Reiji pulled the trigger of his Beretta. He emptied the entire magazine in his chest. His eyes burned with cold rage. With the rush of adrenalin subsiding, his body began to tremble. He felt as if he could hardly stand. With nothing humanly possible to do; nothing more he could do to help release the pain he felt within his heart, he bit his bottom lip until blood started to form. His eyes were again wet with tears once more.

The sound of a car engine closing in brought the young out of his grief stricken trance. The car pulled up in front of him. As the door opened, he picked up his pistol, changed the clip and pointed it at the person coming out. He steadied his hand as he was about to pull the trigger.

"Whoa, hold up! Reiji, it's me!" he recognized the voice. It was Lizzie.

"Lizzie, where the hell is Claudia! Is she responsible for this! Is she the one who killed Cal! Tell Me!" Reiji screamed.

Lizzie knelt by Reiji's side "I don't know. I'm her bodyguard, not her goddamn baby sitter." She grabbed his hand "Get in the car, I think we need to talk."

He reluctantly did as he was told. Reiji's thoughts were still centered around Cal. He couldn't bare knowing that he wouldn't see her smile, hear her laugh, or her voice again. All he wanted to do was change for her, she was his reason for living, now he had nothing. Lizzie sat next to him and started down the road.

"So, what do you want?" Reiji asked in a less than amused tone.

"Inferno's sendin people to peel ya cap back, if you haven't noticed already."

"And?"

"Listen Phantom, we've been partners for a while, I don't want you to die. I got a place where you can stay. I used to use it as a hide out. I'm not gonna lie, it ain't the best place, but it's got everything you'll need."

Reiji banged his arm on the arm rest "I don't care about that! I don't care about Inferno or anything! I just wanna know who tried to kill me. I want the name of the person who authorized my assassination."

Lizzie was quiet. She stopped at the light "I can't tell you who did, cause I don't even know. There's some strange shit goin on, and I think a lot of it has to do with Clo."

Reiji closed his eyes. He played the image of Cal waving goodbye to him with the puppet on her hand again, then he played the image of the explosion. "Do me a favor."

"What is it?" She asked.

"If Claudia is behind this, let me kill her with my own hands." Reiji balled his fist.

Lizzie smirked "First Scythe, then Clo. You're always ready to kill someone, aren't you?"

"I'm Inferno's phantom...or at least I was, it's my job to be prepaid to take lives."

The rest of the drive was silent. Lizzie drove into a secluded desert compound, much like the one he and Ein had trained in.

"Well, this is it." Lizzie announced.

Reiji got of the car "Thanks."

"There's a car in the garage if you need to leave, but for god sakes be careful. I don't want you dyin on me. I might need you someday."

Reiji nodded. He walked into the compound. The walls were bulletproof with no windows. The door was armored and would lock if anyone tried to force entry. Lizzie made sure she gave Reiji the safest place she had.

She watched Reiji as he went in. 'I know one day or another, I'm gonna die for everything I did, but if I could just save one person who deserves a second chance, then I'm fine with that. Be careful Reiji.'

She drove off. Reiji saw the full compound. It had one bedroom, one bathroom, and kitchen with a fully stocked refrigerator. He could see that Lizzie intended for this to be a long term hiding area, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to kill Cal's murderers or die trying. Dejected, he lay in the bed as he played the image of Cal's face in his mind again "Cal." he murmured as a tear ran down his cheek once again. "I couldn't even keep my promise to see you again."

Authors note: Yeah I know this chapter is kinda short, but don't worry my people I'm gonna give u what I promised, cuz this shit is just starting and shit is gonna go down so don't worry :) peace also please R&R


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Cal was walking down the street with a smile on her face as she returned from the video store.

"Reiji is gonna be so impressed when he sees how I fixed the VCR!"

As she walked around the corner of the building next to Reiji's house, she could see a bright orange glow. The sirens of fire trucks and ambulances was all that was audible. Cal ran around the corner to see what had happened. She was hardly prepared for what she saw.

"Reiji!" She ran toward the building. A fire fighter stopped her before she could pass his truck.

"I'm sorry miss, you can't get any closer; it's too dangerous."

"Move out of the way! Reiji's in there!" She fought as hard as she could, using all her strength to push passed him, but He overpowered her.

As the water from the hoses cascaded onto the roaring flames, all Cal could do was watch. She cried out Reiji's name, hoping that he was still alive and could hear her.

After an hour, the flames subsided. All of the firefighters, police officers, and paramedics drove away. The only one left, was the firefighter who stopped Cal from running into the burning building.

He watched as Cal stood up, and walked towards the building

"Hey! I thought I told you, it's too dangerous; not to mention four bodies were removed from the area this evening. This place has been made a crime scene, you can't walk onto it." He grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Let go of me." Cal said darkly.

"I'm sorry miss, but I can't let you go in there."

"I said let go!" Cal threw his arm off of her. She pulled out her pistol and pointed it at the firefighter. He was caught off guard. He stood still, staring down the chrome barrel and praying that the girl wouldn't take his life.

The angered expression on the young girl's face, combined with the orange glow of the subsiding flames illuminating her face, Cal looked like a predator about to strike its prey.

"Now, let me in." Cal demanded.

"Y...yes ma'am..." He made no attempt to stop the young assassin from entering the ash covered building.

Every step she took into the desolated building, she thought if Reiji's promise. She wiped tears as they formed within her emerald eyes. Everything was destroyed. All that remained of her lacy dress, was a piece of charred fabric.

The gaping holes in both the ceiling and wall indicated that survival from the explosion was impossible. She sat on the corner wall of what used to be the bedroom, and looked out at the street.

"Reiji." she whimpered. "Being with you was the only real happiness I knew. After Judy was killed, I didn't know to turn to. You're the only one I had left." She wiped her eyes "I need you Reiji. I need you."

The young blonde rested her head on the corner and fell asleep. She felt useless, cold, and alone. Cal had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and nothing to live for.

In the compound, Reiji had pulled the car out of the garage. He was headed back into the city. Though he knew his life was in great danger from the gang that he had no choice but to dedicate his life to, he had to honor the young girl's memory. He was only sixteen and already killed more people than most have in a lifetime. This life was not something he was proud of, in fact it was quite the opposite.

The only person, who made him feel whole, was Cal, the girl he met my circumstance. Just by investigating the murder of the members of the Bloodies gang members, he met a girl who changed his life and actually gave it meaning. These were all the thoughts going through Reiji's head as he drove. The whole way to the city, his mind was focused on Cal. There was something he needed to do for her. He was going to make a memorial. He felt it was the least that she deserved.

Cal opened her eyes. She could tell that many hours had passed since she'd been there. As she looked around at the pile of ash that used to be Reiji's home, she felt herself on the verge of tears once more.

She pulled out the watch that Reiji bought her. With nothing to comfort her, and no shoulder to cry on, she opened it, and let the music serenade her. As she let the music mesmerize her, she thought of the time she had with Reiji.

The song was nearing its end. Cal could hear someone's footsteps.

"Who's there?" She asked as she readied her gun.

The footsteps continued "Stay back!" She expected it to be a police officer because of how she held the firefighter at gunpoint. Throwing all caution to the wind, she shut her eyes, and cocked her gun "I'm serious!" she yelled!

"Stay away!"

She heard the footsteps stop, and slightly opened her eyes.

What she saw left her dumbfounded. She was overcome with many emotions, none more so, than joy.

"R...Reiji..." she weakly said.

Reiji had flowers in his hand, along with a candle, and a picture of Cal.

"Cal...You're alive..." He dropped everything from his hands.

"You came back for me." Cal ran to Reiji and hugged him. They both cried in each other's arms. They were reunited after they thought they had lost each other forever.

"Reiji" she cried "I was so worried I'd never see you again."

Reiji couldn't think of anything to say that would truly express his happiness. He just held her for as long as she wanted him to. This sweet surrender was fully welcome, and wanted by the Phantom.

He stood up, and dusted the ash from his pants. "Cal, come on."

"Where are we going?" She asked, still lightheaded from all of the tears.

"To our new home."

Cal walked next to Reiji. She was happy; she still had someone to hold her, someone to be there for her. She wanted to hold onto him for as hold ad she could.

Authors Note: Okay now that all this happened, more stuff can happen :D

R&R


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The two rode silently in the car. Cal laid her head on Reiji's arm as he drove her to their new life. She knew that living with an assassin would be dangerous, but if it was him, she felt as if he would always be her protection.

She quickly drifted off to sleep. At every stoplight, Reiji admired her sleeping face. He vowed to himself to never put her in any danger. His life had been filled with one broken promise after another, but he would keep this promise to Cal. He wouldn't let Inferno harm either of them. Reiji had no past. He could never go back to his old life. The only future he had was Cal. His goal was to live to protect her.

Reiji pulled the car into the garage. He nudged to wake her up from her deep slumber. As soon as he put his hand on her shoulder, she rubbed her head on his arm she was resting on.

Reiji was actually flustered by this. He rubbed Cal's shoulder again.

She sheepishly awoke "...Reiji...where are we?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"This is where we're gonna stay from now on. I'm pretty sure Inferno won't find us here."

She smiled "Does this mean we'll be able to stay here...together?"

Reiji brushed her bangs away from her eyes "Of course it does."

They both exited the car and walked into the living room. Cal looked around; she only saw one bedroom in the entire place.

"Um, Reiji...where am I gonna sleep"

He walked into the bedroom, and sat on the edge of his king sized bed "You can sleep in here with me if you'd like."

Cal blushed. She walked into the room and sat opposite him, and leaned on his back. She breathed in his scent. The scent couldn't be described, it was a very deep scent; the type that reminded her of silent nights in a warm bed, or a cool breeze on a summer day. She had missed this scent. Reiji had only been gone for one day, yet it felt like an eternity to her.

"R...Reiji..." Her voice shook.

"Yeah?" He turned around and saw her face in full rosy flush. It was only then that he had remembered Cal's confession to him.

"T...thank you so much for coming back for me..." She grasped the sheets as an attempt to cal herself, but to no avail. Her racing heart only increased its already rapid pace.

"You don't need to thank me at all. You're the most important person in the world to me Cal, I would always come back for you." He grasped the hand of hers that was closest to his "I'll ways be by your side."

He rubbed her hand with his fingers. He looked into Cal's deep emerald eyes as he embraced her tightly in his arms. He felt her heart beating rapidly on his chest.

Cal gasped. She couldn't say a word, she could hardly even breath.

Reiji pulled back. He put one hand on Cal's cheek. He closed his eyes, and leaned in slowly. Cal's face grew even redder. As the void between his lips and her was almost filled, Cal turned away.

Reiji opened his eyes. Once he realized the situation, he backed away "I...I'm so sorry Cal...I didn't mean to scare you."

Cal cursed herself in her head. She was so close to having her first kiss with the first man she loved, and she couldn't bring herself to follow through "No...it's...it's just a little embarrassing..."

Reiji turned away "I understand." he felt horrible. He never intended to make Cal feel uncomfortable in any way.

He took a deep breath, and turned to face her once more "Cal...I'm really..." Reiji was cut off. He felt Cal's soft lips pressed against his own, tasting the sweet taste of her lip gloss. It tasted of sweet peaches.

Reiji felt her hand, she was trembling. He broke the kiss.

Cal was blushing bright red "...You know...that was my first kiss. I'm... I mean I'm glad you took it from me."

Reiji pressed his lips against hers once more.

Cal was taken by surprise. Her surprise quickly turned into light headed bliss.

As she relished the sensation of the kiss, she felt Reiji's mouth open. She, in reaction, opened hers as well.

He slid his tongue into her mouth, Cal opened her eyes and pulled back.

"...I'm sorry..." Reiji said.

"No,...it's fine, I was just a little...surprised..."

She Kissed him again. Their mouths opened and their tongues swirled in each other's mouths.

Cal gently pushed Reiji back.

"Cal...did I do something wrong?"

Cal shook her head "No, it's just...I want more..."

She buried her face into her hands.

Reiji smiled at the blonde girl. He put his hand on her shoulders. He began to remove her jacket. She lowered her arms so he could remove the sleeves.

She hardly remembered how to breath, her mind was overcome with happiness and fear.

Reiji took her shirt off, then her pants. She lay there in only her bra and panties.

Reiji began to disrobe himself as well. Cal watched as he stripped every article of clothing off of his body. He sat on the bed with her.

He whispered in her ear "Are you sure about this?"

Cal's breath was shaky "Yes...I'm...I'm just a little nervous...I've never done this before."

Reiji slid his hand into her panties. He touched her smooth, warm, sex. He was surprised how by wet she was 'She must really want this.'

He started to run his finger up and down her slit. She moaned louder with every stroke.

Reiji positioned his fingers at her opening.

"Reiji...Please be gentle..."

He glided his fingers inside of her. Cal felt a sharp jolt of pain.

Reiji saw tears in her eyes "Cal, are you okay? Do you want me to stop?"

She shook her head "I'm fine... Just please, keep going."

Reiji wiped the tears from her eyes. He continued to plunge his fingers into Cal's warm entrance.

Cal's pain quickly subsided. She cried out Reiji's name with every push.

Reiji took his fingers out of her "Reiji?" she panted "Why...did you stop?"

Reiji smiled "Because I'm gonna do something better."

Cal's heart raced. She knew what was coming. The clustered feeling of nervousness and happiness returned. Her stomach fluttered as Reiji positioned himself.

"I'm going in." He whispered.

Cal closed her eyes, and held her breath. She felt Reiji push inside her.

"Reiji!" She screamed "This...this is...amazing!"

Reiji continued thrusting deep inside of her.

Cal was tighter than anything he had ever experienced before. He felt his climax nearing.

He continued pushing roughly and deeply inside of her. Cal lost her ability to talk. Her cries of pleasure were the only sounds that escaped her mouth.

Reiji gave one last violent thrust, and the two reached their climax. Reiji fell on his side, both tried to catch their breaths.

"Thank you Reiji. I love you so much."

Reiji held Cal in his arms "I love you too."

Cal felt safe in Reiji's arms. Every doubt or worry that she had, disappeared whenever he embraced her. His warmth, his scent, even the sound of his voice, drew her to him.

Reiji awoke. He looked at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed. It was 9am. It was very difficult, if not impossible, to tell time in the compound. He looked next to him to see his lover's beautiful face. When he lifted the covers, he saw she was missing. He began to panic. 'Was she taken by Inferno? No, they wouldn't have taken her, they would have killed both me and her. Did she run off?" The more he questioned, the more worried he became. He stepped out of bed, and got dressed.

As he walked out of the bedroom, he saw a set table, with food prepared and waiting.

Cal smiled at him "Good morning Reiji."

Reiji was able to breathe easy. He walked to the table, and smiled as he saw the spread "Wow Cal, you really do know your way around a kitchen."

The two ate, talked, and laughed together. Cal had never heard Reiji laugh before. Her heart overflowed with joy that she could make Reiji to feel happiness. 'Judy, if you're watching me, I'm really happy.'

Author's note: :D okay so we got to the love scene between Reiji and Cal, I hope u enjoyed it cuz there isn't gonna be another one...am I lying?...of course I am xD. So yeah I plan on keeping the two alive...that is unless I decide to kill them. I haven't decided yet. Hey :D I told you I'd make the chapters longer, so peace out, R&R, and get at ya boy with tha comments. Also I could use a beta if anyone is interested

Preview for the next chapter: (Reiji narrative)

This happy life. I wanted it to last forever. But whenever I find one moment and peace and happiness, the people I love, and I get dragged to the depths of hell. I guess I need to go back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lizzie slowly opened her eyes. As she took in the morning sun, she stretched and rolled out of her bed. 'I wonder how he's doing now.'

She put her clothes on. Her regular purple letter pants with matching jacket, with a light purple shirt.

She heard her phone buzz, and looked to see who would bother her this early in the morning. She had received a text from Claudia. Her heart felt uneasy as she went to open the text. With all that the woman had gotten herself into, she could only wonder what Claudia's true intentions were.

'Lizzie. Meet me at my place. I need you badly.'

She sighed "What the hell could she have got herself into now?" She spat as she walked out of her house.

She stepped into her car and began to drive. The road was very clear. There were hardly any cars on the street. Lizzie was glad the trip wouldn't be long. She stopped at the stoplight.

She looked in her rear view mirror; a black car was behind her. She didn't really pay attention to it. The most she noticed about it was that it looked like I belonged to someone of great social status. The windows were tinted to the point where they looked pitch black.

The light turned green. She pushed the gas pedal and continued on her way. She checked her rear view mirror once more. The black car was still behind her. She couldn't tell if he had gone down the road by coincidence, or the driver was following her.

She continued driving forward. The car didn't change directions. 'What's this guys game?' she thought. She decided to test the driver. She wanted to know once and for all if he was following her. She turned the next corner sharply, floored the pedal and kept driving. She looked behind her to see if the car was still in pursuit. To her satisfaction, it wasn't. She slowed down, and took a breath to calm herself. She drove farther; she was suddenly cut off by the black car. She hit the break violently, as to not hit the car.

Two men stepped in black suits stepped out of the car. They walked to both front doors. Lizzie rolled down the window "What the hell do you think you're doin!" She spat.

"Get out of the car." one of the men ordered.

Lizzie readied her foot on the gas. The man pulled out his gun.

"I think you know that will happen if you do that."

Lizzie cursed under her breath.

"Step out of the car." he repeated.

She opened the door, and stepped out.

The two men brought her to the car. She saw the back door open.

"It's nice to see you again Miss Garland."

The man stepped out of the car.

"McGuire? What the fuck are you doing?."

The two men brought her over to him.

"Get inside the car. We had some business to discuss regarding certain choices you've decided to make without the approval of inferno."

Lizzie bit her lip. She knew exactly what he meant, all she didn't know, was what he would do to her.

'Did Clo know about this? Did she set me up?' she thought as she stepped into McGuire's car. The two men sat in the front seats, and began to drive. She had so many questions spiraling in her head. Though much was unknown to her, she knew one thing; she would either be killed, or beaten.

"So what's this about?" Lizzie asked.

McGuire took a sip of his red wine. He lowered his lips from the glass and swirled the wine in his cup "I believe you already know the reason as to why we're having this discussion."

"Well say I don't, say I have no fuckin idea what you, or your two lapdogs want." She spat.

McGuire swirled the wine once more "Now now Miss Garland, let's keep this conversation civil. You wouldn't want any misfortune to befall the ex-second phantom that you went to such great lengths to hide."

Lizzie shut her eyes "Shit."

McGuire smiled when he heard her. He realized she knew the power he held over her at this moment "Relax. I didn't come here to hurt you in any way." He sipped his wine "But, something has to be done about that boy."

"Look, he didn't do nothin wrong. He doesn't deserve to be killed by Inferno." Lizzie wanted defended as best she could.

"Miss Garland, I think you misunderstand the situation. If someone goes against Inferno, Inferno will wipe them off the face of the earth. The same applies to those who run from Inferno."

"Listen you bastard! If you even fuckin think about touchin Reiji, I'll blow ya goddamn brains out in this fuckin car!" Lizzie heard a loud, bursting noise. The noise was followed by a sharp pain in her left leg. Her breath became shallow, and she looked down to her leg where the throbbing pain originated. She stared in paralyzing shock at her blood soaked pant leg, and the blood splatter on the car's interior. She screamed out in pain.

McGuire put his gun back in its holster "I asked you to keep it civil. I really hate having to punish people with such barbaric methods."

Lizzie still was in agonizing pain from the gunshot wound. The bullet had pieced her muscle, and she was pretty sure the bone took some damage as well. Blood was gushing out of her leg.

"So, tell me Miss Garland. What should we do about the phantom?"

Lizzie gritted her teeth "Don't kill him. Give him a second chance. You know how good the boy is at killing. Let him come back." she manages to groan out as she writhed in the seats.

The car stopped "Interesting solution. I think I might take it into consideration, but I'll deal with that later. Right now, you need to exit my car, I'm afraid you'll have to pay for the blood stains, I'm sure you understand." Lizzie glared at him as she held her leg, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"I was even kind enough to drop you off in front of a hospital." He laughed.

Lizzie opened the door, and stumbled out of the car.

"We'll be seeing each other again quite soon Miss Garland."

Lizzie cursed under her breath. She detested herself for bringing Reiji back into the mess he just got out of. She was starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss. She managed to make it through the door of the hospital, and collapsed as soon as she entered.

Two nurses immediately assisted her. They put her on a gurney and brought her into surgery. They had to replace her lost blood, as well as remove the bullet which was lodged within her left femur.

She was a bloody mess, a product of Inferno's ruthlessness.

Lizzie woke up hours later. She was in a bed, with her leg in a sling. Screws were placed in it to keep the bone together. She could tell she was in a hospital room because of the uncomfortable bed, the grey drapes around the bed, and the distinct smell of rubbing alcohol in the air. She replayed the days events in her mind. She was trying to piece everything together. 'How the hell did they know where Reiji is? I gave him my safest hide out. The only one who ever knew about it was...' she clenched her fist 'Claudia.' She couldn't believe that her childhood friend would betray her like that.

Her attention was brought back to the room when she heard a knock on the door. "Miss Garland? Are you awake?" the nurse came in.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"Your friend told us. He paid for your hospital stay." she smiled "So don't worry, everything is taken care of." she walked out of the room.

"My friend? Who the hell is she talkin about?"

She saw a man step in the room. A man with grey hair, purple sunglasses, and a black hat. She recognized this bony figure dressed in his usual white suit, all too well.

"Scythe, what the hell are you doing here!"

Scythe master smirked "I don't think that's the proper way to speak to the man who paid for your surgery and hospital stay."

"Why did you do it? What do you have to gain from this?" She was beyond confused. Her best friend betrayed her, and her enemy rescued her.

"We'll discuss that momentarily. How are you feeling? McGuier's punishment was quite harsh, wasn't it?"

"Shut up!" she spat.

The room was silent for a moment. Scythe master wore the smug expression on his face once more "The enemy of my enemy, is my friend. Don't you agree?"

"What the hell are you gettin at?"

"I know who set you up." he said "It's really a shame. Claudia is a very cruel woman, isn't she?"

Lizzie turned her head "Yeah, what of it?"

Scythe walked over to her "Did you not hear a word I've said? We share a common enemy. I paid for your hospital stay. Now I want you take the life of Claudia, ensure my safety. I don't expect you to safeguard me wherever I go, I only expect you to keep inferno off my trail."

Lizzie grunted "The first thing, I already got someone for that. But I don't even know if the second this is possible."

Scythe master walked toward the door "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Scythe walked out of the room "One more thing miss Garland, I saved your life, so if you don't have my two conditions fulfilled, when you least expect it, I will end your life. Your time starts tomorrow. Ciao"

"Bastard." she cursed under her breath.

Lizzie was released from the hospital the next day. She had to use crutches to walk 'Damn!' she thought 'With these, I can't even pull out my strap if someone runs up on me.'

She thought about what Scythe said. She didn't feel like dying anytime soon, so she needed to contact Reiji as soon as possible.

A car pulled up next to her. It was a black car, one she recognized "Oh shit."

Then window rolled down "Hello miss Garland. I think it's time. Step in."

She gulped. She knew what he meant. Every last moment of peace, was about to go up in smoke.

Later that night, in the compound, Reiji was cooking with Cal. They were both covered in flour, and the kitchen was a mess. They were having the time of their lives. The Compound was filled with the sound of their laughter.

"Reiji, you need to cut the potatoes smaller if you want this to taste good."

"Hey, I'm not used to this sort of thing."

She laughed "You know, you're really lucky you're cute, or else I wouldn't know what to do with you."

"Aww, don't be so mean Cal, I promise I'll be good."

The both laughed.

They heard the sound of clinging metal. Cal went to check what it was. She looked at an empty pot. It had a dent in it, with a hole in the center of the dent.

"...Reiji..." She showed the dish to him.

Reiji looked at the wall "Cal! Get down!"

As soon as they ducked behind the counter, bullets came shot after shot inside of the compound. The lights were shot out, shards of metal and glass covered the floor.

"Reiji...I thought this place was bullet proof! How could they shoot it up like this!"

"Sniper rifles, armor piercing rounds." he answered. He pulled out his gun, and waited for them. He knew that the people who fired, weren't intending to hit anyone, just to scare them.

Someone maneuvered through the front door. Reiji came from behind the counter and shot the man in his neck.

"He's in here!" He heard another

"Cal, stay here. I'll take care of this."

Cal nodded. Reiji moved into the garage. He hid behind the car. A man armed with an Ak-47 walked passed it. Reiji let all peaceful thoughts go. He regained his mindset as a killer.

He ran silently behind the heavily armed man, and ran a knife through his throat. The man groaned as he felt the knife penetrate his jugular artery. Before the man's body hit the ground, Reiji pulled his gun from his hands.

"The garage! He's in the garage!" Reiji heard the footsteps coming closer.

Once the two men were in sight, he fired three bullets into the first man's head. The second tried to turn and run for his life. He desperately wanted to preserve his life, but as soon as he turned his leg, Reiji shot him in his Achilles tendon. The man cried out in pain, Reiji silenced him by shooting him in the base of his skull. The floor was covered in blood. The air of the compound that was filled with the smell of fresh food was now filled with the strong scent iron.

"I found another!" The last man cried out "I'm gonna kill her!"

Reiji's eyes opened wide "CAL!" he screamed.

His scream, was followed by the sound of a gunshot, and a body dropping to the floor.

He ran over to the kitchen, praying for Cal's safety. He readied his gun "Don't shoot!" he heard the voice shout. Tears came to Reiji's eyes. He fell to his knees "Cal. I thought I lost you."

The two embraced each other. Cal still had the blood of the man she shot on her cloths.

"Come on, we need to get out of here."

He took Cal by the hand and ran out the front door.

The entire compound was surrounded by cars, and armed men outside of each of them. At the center, was Lizzie, and McGuire.

"Well, looks like out Phantom will still be of some use to us. It looks like I will spare him Lizzie."

Reiji held onto Cal's hand tightly.

"Mister McGuire, what about the girl?"

Reiji aimed his barrette at the man, the man in response, aimed his Ak-47 at Reiji.

"Leave her." McGuire said "She was able to kill one of our assassins. She may actually be of some use to us."

Reiji knew he had no place to run. If he made any move, he and Cal would be shot and killed. He was being dragged back into Inferno once again, and he was dragging Cal with him. What hurt Reiji the most, was that there was nothing he could do about it.

Preview (Reiji Voice)

To live in a dream, I need to bring her into a nightmare. To live in the world Cal lived in, I'll need to bring her into the world I live in. I must do everything to protect her, even if it means, safeguarding her through the flames of Inferno.

Author's note: Shit is goin down :) enough said


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Once Reiji and Cal were taken into McGuire's limousine, they began to drive away from the compound.

McGuire had the compound destroyed; making sure the two never had a place out of his reach. Reiji and Cal's freedom was a close as the touch of their fingertips, but farther than they could than they had the strength to reach.

"It's nice to have you back, Phantom." He smirked. "I hope you enjoyed your little vacation, you'll he quite busy from here on out."

Reiji remained silent as he awaited his orders. He already realized that all escape was impossible. All he could hope for, was the safety of Cal, and himself.

McGuire pulled out a folder and handed it to Reiji "Your next target. I thought you'd rather enjoy this one.

Reiji opened it. He took out the paper inside with the face of his next victim. The target was woman, one he knew all too well. Claudia McCunnen.

"When do you want me to do it?" he asked.

"We've been studying Ms. McCunnen's activity lately. She seems to be out of her house for the entire day, but always returns no later than 12am."

Reiji was trying to keep his lust for killing her from being shown. Ever since he escaped with Cal, all he wanted was to kill her, and now he was finally getting the chance.

The car pulled into McGuire's mansion. His chauffeur opened the door for them, and led the upstairs to the living room.

The room was enormous. The floor was a hazel colored marble, on the ceiling hung two chandeliers that illuminated the entire room. On the floor there was a Persian rug with white suede couch and mahogany coffee table on it.

"Seeing as you destroyed our house, where will Cal and I be staying?" Reiji asked.

McGuire's bodyguard opened the bottle of champagne that had been waiting chilling a pail of ice.

He poured a glass for the silver haired man "I will give you a place of your own once the mission is completed, for the time being, you will stay in the room I have prepared for you.

Cal grabbed Reiji's hand. She did was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. McGuire's malevolent smirk showed exactly what he had planned. She knew no good could come of the situation they were in.

"I'd like to start my mission now." Reiji said.

McGuire sipped his drink "So soon? I would think you'd want to relax after today's...excitement."

He gritted his teeth "Come on! Just give me the car and I'll do the rest. It's already 10 o'clock, I only have about two hours until she gets home, so please spare me your bullshit."

The room was silent.

"Very well then. I'll prepare a car for you, and by morning, I expect her life to be ended. Do that, and you will be well rewarded."

Reiji nodded. He kept holding on to Cal's hand as he readied himself to walk out of the mansion. One of McGuire's body guards grabbed her shoulder.

"Let her go now!" he demanded.

McGuire laughed "Believe me Phantom I will, but for now, we'll keep her safe for you.

"Bastard! Let her go now or else..."

One of the guards held his gun to Cal's head.

"If you complete this mission, then I will return her to you. Just think of it as insurance."

"I swear, if any of you hurt her..."

"Reiji, I'll be fine. Just go." Cal tried to wear her most reassuring smile. She had great faith in Reiji, so she did not want him to waste time worrying over her.

"I'll be back soon, Cal. Please, just wait for me." With that, he headed for the garage with one of McGuire's bodyguards.

"And, Phantom. If the target isn't dead by dawn, then your little girlfriend won't live to see The sunrise."

Reiji was very tempted to put a bullet in between eyes, but he knew Cal's safety was in jeopardy, and that was incentive enough.

He hopped into the driver seat of the gar he was given, drove off into the night. He only had a few hours to do this, so he had to make every minute count.

One hour passed had passed when he reached the mansion of Claudia McCunnen.

Reiji knew that she wasn't a fool. She probably knew someone from Inferno would come to assassinate her.

Reiji cocked his gun, and continue to the possible danger. He knew every part of the mansion, entrances and exits. Because she thought he was dead, this gave him the element of surprise.

He walked to one of her back windows into her room, and proceeded to quietly make his entrance.

As he looked around, he remembered all that had gone on in there. He remembered all the lust filled nights he had with Claudia, though he never fully trusted her, he never thought she would try to kill him.

He checked the room for any traces of wires, or explosives. The last thing he wanted was to be killed on a mission that Cal's safety depended on.

As he confirmed the room was clear, he quietly opened the door, and walked into the hallway. He could hear the shower running a few doors down.

He walked to the door of the bathroom, and opened it. As the steam billowed out, he could see the blonde hair of his soon to be victim.

He walked as quietly as he could, not making one sudden move. He neared the clear shower curtain

"Well, I knew Inferno would send someone to kill me, but I didn't think it would be you, Reiji Azuma."

He froze as she turned the water off, and opened the shower curtain.

"I know you didn't, you probably thought Inferno had me killed already."

The blonde smirked "Actually, yes I did."

Reiji was becoming anxious to pull the trigger on her "Why did you do it? Why did you betray Lizzie and me?"

Claudia wrapped a towel around her wet body "Does it really matter why I did it? What's done is done. When I got my revenge for my brother's death, I had nothing left to live for."

"I couldn't care less about your personal problems." Reiji said "By killing you, Cal and I will finally be free from Inferno."

She smirked "Well, you sound like a typical cliché hero. You get the girl, you get your freedom, and you kill the bad guy."

Reiji disregarded her words. He only cared about finishing the mission.

She walked over to Reiji and put her hand on his "I knew I would die tonight, I made sure of it."

Reiji backed away from her "What do you mean by that?"

She began to laugh. She dropped to the floor of the bathroom "This place is set to blow in about two minutes. So even if you don't put a bullet in me, I'll still be killed."

Once again, everything worked in the favor of Claudia McCunnen. Reiji hated how she knew how to bend every situation to advantage. He raised his pistol, and shot her in the forehead.

"Burn in hell you dirty bitch."

He ran out of the mansion through the window that he used to come in. He needed to get as far away from it as possible. Running towards his car, he couldn't help but feel that there was no real victory. He had just killed the woman who used him for everything, and set him up in the end. Even though he had done exactly what he wanted, the fact that she was about to be killed by her own bomb even if he didn't arrive, made him feel that he only sped up the inevitable.

When he reached his car, the compound exploded, leaving only flames and debris to fly into the night sky.

As he drove off, one question kept going through his head 'Did I really win?'

He pulled into the driveway of McGuire's mansion after the long night he had.

He was greeted by the chauffeur "Mister McGuire is waiting for you in his private quarters, I'll take you there."

As the two walked up the stairs, Reiji half expected something horrible to have happened. He couldn't shake the feeling that things were only about to get worse for he and Cal with every step he took.

The chauffeur knocked on the brass doors of McGuire's room.

A armed man opened it for the two, an led them to their boss's lounge chair that was placed in front of his clear glass wall overlooking the city.

"I did it. She's dead."

"Good job, Phantom. I guess Lizzie was right that sparing your life with be beneficial."

Talking to this man always made Reijj's stomach churn. He was the type of man who was use to getting exactly what he desired, a man with absolutely no sense of disappointment. He was the exact opposite of Reiji.

"I held up my end of the bargain, now give her back."

He sipped his champagne "Of course."

He signaled his body guard to go get her. He walked out of the room to another, with the door chained.

Cal was brought into McGuire's room. She embraced Reiji as soon as the man let her go.

"Cal, we're finally free, we'll never have to deal with Inferno again." Reiji smiled.

"Really, Reiji?" Cal looked into his eyes. He could tell he was being absolutely truthful. She raised up to kiss him.

Their kiss was interrupted by the laughing of the silver haired man.

"What are you laughing about?" Reiji snapped.

"Who said I was letting you leave Inferno?"

"But...you told me..."

"I said, you'll be well rewarded. I reward you with miss Devins, and a good pay. I'm never going to let go of my greatest assassin."

Reiji knew that something like this would happen. When dealing with inferno, every reward would put you in their debt even more.

"I have your new living arrangements in order. I can have you driven there now if you'd like."

"Is that all." Reiji asked.

"For now, yes. But don't get too comfortable, I will be needing you quite soon."

The two were lead out of the building. He was once again a killer. He had no past and very slim hope for a future.

Preview (Reiji Voice)

Even after I tried to protect her from this life, I've been ordered to turn her into the monstrosity that I am. I need to make Cal a killer.

Author's note: I'm so sorry my people, I usually update much much faster than this, but lots of work and crap. And yes I know, you wanted to see Cal in this chapter a bit more cuz the last preview said she would be, but I needed to set the stage. I needed to give Reiji his hallow victory and drag him deeper onto inferno before anything can happen with Cal.

And since you've been so patient, I might even give you a lemon in the next chapter ;D

Am I lying?

Of course I am :D! Or maybe I'm not. Keep reading and reviewing and know that I love you all :)

~Happy Murder~


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Reiji and Cal were driven to their new house. It was significantly bigger than the compound. The house was located in a secluded area, and had the same amount of bedrooms, but a greater amount of space.

The two explored the house's upper and lower level. Each room was filled with boxes that dominated the area of the room. The walked out the screen door that lead out of the house. In the back yard, there was a shooting range, with many differed types of fire arms. There was also a sparing ground. Reiji knew exactly what they intended to happen, and he had no choice but to do it.

The two walked into their new bedroom "So...what do you think is gonna do with us?" Cal asked.

"Nothing. They expect us to kill for them, so until we outlive out usefulness, they won't touch us."

"Wait, what do you mean 'us'? They expect me to kill with you." the young blonde asked.

Reiji nodded, and sat on their bed.

"So I'm gonna be your partner."

The girl's words killed Reiji inside. He couldn't look at Cal, he didn't want to see the hurt look on her face.

"Reiji, this is incredible!"

He remembered that she had offered to be his assistant before their lived took an unexpected turn. Having Cal by his side was what he wanted "Okay. I'll teach you as best I can."

Cal's face lit up "Oh my god! Thank you so much Reiji!" She lunged at him and in a flurry of passion, her lips met his. Her dream of being by Reiji's side, even though hardships, was finally coming true.

He knew that he would probably end up regretting this, but he wanted to keep his Cal smiling.

The morning sun shone in Cal and Reiji's bedroom.

Cal opened her eyes and saw Reiji sitting on the side of the bed. She put draped her arms around his shoulder "Good morning Reiji." She looked down and saw the gun in his hand "Do you...have a job?"

He shook his head "Get dressed and meet me in the back yard. We're gonna start your training."

Cal nodded. As Reiji left the room, she could tell something was bothering him. She knee how he felt about his job, and she knew deep in her heart that he wouldn't want her doing the same thing. Even knowing this, she admired his dedication to her.

Cal went downstairs dressed in her usual orange shirt with matching shorts with a green coat draped over it. She saw Reiji in the middle of the sparing ground.

"Reiji, I thought we were supposed to be teaching me how to handle a gun."

He shook his head. You're already pretty good with a gun, I'm gonna teach you how to fight with a knife."

She looked confused

"If you happen to run out of bullets, or are separated from your gun, knowing how to use a knife will really help."

She grabbed it from his hand "Okay, I'm ready."

He walked over to her "Always hold your knife with the blade facing down. It puts more power in your stab if you do it this way."

He remembered everything that Erin had taught him. He remembered all the sleepless days and nights he had while he was training.

He taught Cal to use her coat to cover her free hand to grab the knife out of her opponent's grip, and key vital points to aim for.

She listened with a completely open mind. She wanted to learn as fast as she could so she could actually be of use to Reiji. She never wanted to be useless again.

After she was able to hold her own again Reiji with the knife, he had her pick the gun she felt most comfortable holding. She chose the dual .45 colt.

Reiji had trained her intensely for two weeks. She was quick with the draw and firing of gun, an was able to wield her knife like a master. He was amazed at how fast she learned. What took him two months to learn, took her a month. Though her progress was remarkable, he knew training would mean nothing on a real mission. The only way she would be to kill someone on a real mission.

Reiji heard the phone ring "Hello?" he answered.

"Hello, Phantom." McGuire said "How is Miss Devens's training coming along?"

"I've taught her almost everything I know. I only have a few things left to teach her."

"Very good," he said "I would to see these results first hand. I will have her mission ready by tomorrow morning."

Reiji's heart pounded in his chest "You can't! She's still not ready!"

"You said it yourself Phantom, you taught her most of what you know."

"But she could die if she goes alone!"

"If she gets herself killed, then she was no use to me from the start. That will be all"

"But, Mr. McGuire..."

Reiji was cut off, McGuire had hung up the phone. He started to tremble. It's not that he didn't have confidence in Cal's training; he just didn't want any harm to befall her.

He walked upstairs to his room; Cal was waiting on the bed for him in her black nightgown. She saw the expression on his face "Reiji...what's the matter?"

He sat beside her "Mr. McGuire wants you to go on a mission tomorrow."

Cal smiled "What's so bad about that? We'll be together protecting each other."

Reiji shook his head.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"He wants you to go alone."

Cal now understood why he was so shaken up. He thought he lost her once before, and now he ran the risk o losing her again "Reiji...please don't worry about me. You taught me very well, there's no way I'll be killed."

"Cal, you don't understand, no amount of training could ever prepare you for the real thing." he closed his eyes "I'm just worried that...I won't see you again."

Cal crawled over to him. She gently kissed his eyelids in an attempt to console him, and looked deep in his amber eyes "I'll never be out of your reach Reiji." she put her head on his chest, and felt the pace of his heart slowing. "I'm yours, and I always will be."

She leaned forward to kiss him. The two assassins shared a deep and passionate kiss, one they haven't had the pleasure of sharing for such a long time.

Reiji put his hand on her chest. She had developed very quickly over the month he knew her. She had grown from a small B, to a 32c.

Cal took her nightgown off and carelessly let it fall to the floor. She never wore a underwear to sleep, leaving her completely exposed to the man she loved.

Reiji grabbed the soft mounds of flesh, and began to massage them in a circular motion.

He pinched her nipples with the knuckle of his index and middle finger.

Cal was lost in pleasure. No words came from her mouth, but her moans let Reiji know just how she felt. He slid his left hand from her breast, down to her stomach. He rubbed her lower stomach, slightly grazing her womanhood each time.

"Please Reiji. Stop teasing me." she begged.

Reiji complied with her wish. Cal was very moist to the touch. Her body was begging for Reiji. He rubbed her moist sex rapidly.

Cal's knees buckled. She was squeezing his hand in between her thighs. She could feel herself getting closer to her climax. Reiji pushed his two fingers inside of Cal. Her felt intense pleasure, so much differed from the first time. She had reached her climax. Her juices poured out of her womanhood as she sunk to the floor.

Reiji laid the girl on his bed as he began to undress. Cal's heart pounded faster with every garment he stripped off of his body.

He climbed into the bed with her. Their lips met again.

"Reiji wait." She sat up "I want to return the favor."

She lightly pushed Reiji on his back. She brought her head down, and faced her lover's member.

She looked uneasy about doing this "Cal, you don't need to..."

"No." she said "I want to." she reassured him with a warm smile.

She kissed the tip of his sex, and then brought it into her mouth. She ran her tongue up and down his member; Reiji shut his eyes, and let his mind focus on the intense pleasure.

Though Cal had never done this before, she learned how to do this from her sister.

Cal's warm mouth and soft tongue felt amazing to Reiji.

"Cal, stop." He said.

"...you didn't like it?" Cal's disappointment in herself was overtly apparent on her face.

"No, it was amazing. I just, I want to finish inside of you."

Cal was overcome with joy, and happily agreed.

The tip of my member pressed against Cal's warm entrance.

As he pushed in, Cal already felt herself on the verge of a second Climax.

She wrapped her legs around Reiji, begging him to go faster.

The two had become one again, after so long. Their love, lust, and passion were being expressed through one beautiful act.

Reiji pushed deeper into Cal.

"Oh God Reiji! I'm almost there!" She cried.

Reiji felt the end nearing as well. His thrusts became harder and stronger. Each push hitting deeper into his lover.

With one final thrust, their fingers entwined, and the two released.

The looked into each other's eyes while they tried to catch their breaths.

"I love you Cal." those were the last words spoken before the two fell asleep. This moment was perfect. Even in their world of blood, death, and destruction, as long as they had each other, as long as they were able to forever be within reach of each other, their lives were bearable.

At the break of dawn, the two heard a knock at the door. Reiji crawled out of bed and walked downstairs.

He already knew who it was, and his feet felt heavier with every step.

He heard the loud knocks on the door grow harder. He opened it.

One McGuire's bodyguards stood at the other end "Mr. McGuire wants the girl now. Have her ready in five minutes."

Reiji took his orders in silence.

The man walked back to the limousine parked in front of the house.

Reiji walked up the stairs to give Cal her orders.

Cal was already awake "They want me now...don't they?"

Reiji nodded. He didn't want to send her off on her own, but he would run the risk of getting her killed if he went against McGuire's orders.

After Cal got dressed, she put her pistol in the holster inside of her coat.

"Well...I'm ready."

"Please be careful Cal."

She smiled, and left the room.

She knew Reiji was worried, but she truly wanted to prove herself to him. She would no longer be useless after today.

She stepped into the limousine

"Good morning Ms. Devins. I hope you slept will."

"Who do you want me to kill?"

McGuire smirked "My my, you seem really prepared for this."

He handed her a folder. The target was grey haired man who looked to be in his late 40's.

"This man is mob boss Jeffery Costa. He has been salvaging the remaining members of the Bloodies, probably trying to merge with them."

Cal had forgotten all about the Bloodies ever since Isaac was killed "So all I have to do is kill this guy, and my mission is done?"

"It might not be that simple. We have intelligence that he's been consulting with some high class assassin. You might run into him, and if you do..."

"You want me to kill him."

"Good girl." He told his driver to stop in front of a playground. "He'll be at this park with his son. When you see him, you know what to do."

He let her out of the car.

Cal started to second guess herself. She didn't know if she could kill him while his son was watching. she remembered how devastating it was when she saw Judy get shot in front of her, she didn't want to cause that pain to someone else.

She sat on the bench, and waited for the man to come. She tried to prepare herself, she kept thinking about what Reiji would do. 'He would have completed the mission without any second thought. I need to do the same.' She came to terms with everything, and watched the park entrance.

Hours passed. Cal started to doubt that the man would even come.

Suddenly, she saw four men dressed in black suits come in the park. They stood around the four corners of the playground. After they took their positions, the target walked in. He was with two others, his son who held his right hand, and a young woman who held his left. The woman had short green hair, and grey eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with red ribbons as buttons, and a short skirt.

"Daddy! Can I play on the slide first?"

He laughed "Of course you can. Today is your day."

The boy pulled his father by the hand, and lead him to the slide.

Cal carefully analyzed the area. The playground was filled with children. There was a brick fort leading to the sand box that she could use as cover in case she was stuck in a shootout, and many nothing else to hide her location.

She took a deep breath, reached in her coat pocket, and discreetly. She had a silencer on it so she knew she would be safe for the first few shots.

Jeffrey walked up the steps to the slide with his son. As the two neared the top, Cal took her shot.

The next thing Jeffery's son saw, was his father's head being priced by a bullet, and his lifeless body hitting the floor.

"DADDY!" He screamed, the parents at the park looked in his direction.

With the diversion of the crowd, she shot the four guards.

The parents took their children out of the park as fast as they could. Cal thought her mission was complete. She was proud of herself for going through with it. She started walking, but she heard something rapidly fly past her ear. She felt a trickle of blood fall from her cheek. She wondered what had hit her.

When the park cleared, she saw the girl that her victim entered the park with. She was armed with an eight barrel revolver.

"Who are you!" Cal yelled.

The woman just gave a blank stare.

Cal raised her gun "If you don't put the gun down, I'll..."

The woman shot the gun out of her hands. Cal hands burned. She fell to her knees.

The woman turned her back to her, and took the ex-mob boss's son in her hands.

"Please! Don't take me away!" he pleaded.

"My orders were to protect you from any harm. I can't do that with your father's murderer still here.

She carried him away.

Cal was able to breathe again. She was thankful that the woman hadn't decided to kill her.

Cal had gotten back into McGuire's limousine where he and Lizzie were waiting. When she gave her mission report, she told them about the woman that she saw.

Both Lizzie and McGuire knew who she was "The woman you encountered, was the first Phantom of inferno, the one who trained Reiji."

Cal knew that she was no ordinary bodyguard. She had an extremely precise aim, and nothing, not even the threat of being shot, startled her.

'Why the hell would scythe do this? He asked me to try to get him back in Inferno, so why would he go against us?' This question continued to run through Lizzie's head. She had one more day until she was late for the deadline, and this act would make it impossible for her to keep.

Preview (Reiji Voice)

What are you doing here? Who told you where I was? Why are you trying to kill us...Erin...

Author's note: Well as I promised, I gave you a lemon scene between Cal and Reiji, :-/ but I'm not really sure I wanna put in another. Comment and tell me if you want it to happen again. Majority will rule, unless I like you and disregard what everyone else votes. Lol Jk, but now really.

I'd also like to clarify something, I admit i did kill off Claudia very quickly, but I really didn't want her to play a major role in my story. Two female antagonists is just too much, and personally I don't like her. Like in my next Phantom fanfic, she'll be dead from the start.

But thank you for showing concern for the content of my story SlickCiggy, I really appreciate it :)

And thank you everyone for your reviews, and keep R&R-ing


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Three men were racing to escapee their mansion. The power was cut off, and bodies littered the floors of the hallways. Another gunshot was heard, the next noise was a body dropping to the floor. "Where the fuck is it coming from!" One man yelled.

"I don't know sir, we lost..." His lifeless body dropped like his comrade before him.

The last man watched as all his subordinate lay in pools of their own blood. He turned looked behind him to see who was responsible for this massacre. He about-faced, and prepared to make an escape. When he turned, he saw a young woman with short hair standing before him. Her eyes had no life or emotion, only darkness.

He nervously backed away from her "Please, whoever you are, stop this..."

The woman was silent.

"...You were paid to kill me right? Well whatever you're being paid I can double it...I promise, I'll never show my face in the country again..."

She raised her revolver.

He fell to his knees "I'm serious! I don't want to die!"

She pulled the trigger, and the man met the same fate as all of the men who followed him.

As she watched the man bleed out, she picked up her phone to report to her master "Target eliminated."

"Excellent. Good work, Ein."

She began walking down the stairs, being careful not to move any of the bodies out of place.

"I already have your mission update. That girl you told me about interests me. I have no doubt that she is working with Inferno. Your mission is to search the area for her, and assess her skills. You may use any means you feel necessary, but you are not permitted to kill her. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master."

Lizzie laid in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She knew this was her last day to do the impossible and get Scythe Master back into Inferno, or else she would be killed.

She took her time to come to terms with any regrets she had, which was very much. What she regretted most of all, was letting Claudia go out of control and cause so much chaos.

She heard her cellphone ring. As she went to answer it, she noticed the number was blocked.

"Hello?" She answered.

"It's nice to hear your voice once more Ms. Garland. How is your leg?"

She knew there was only one reason why Scythe Master would be calling her. Her emotions were a blend of fear and anger as she listened to the sadistic man's voice.

"Listen, after that stunt you pulled by havin your puppet guard our target's son, Inferno's gonna be all over your ass."

He laughed. His laughed sounded more cocky than it usually did. "I haven't even said what I wanted and you're already telling me what you can't do. That's not a very good trait."

"...so...why are you callin?"

"There is someone I would like to study, the girl who killed Jeffery Costa." He said.

"I can't do that."

"And why not?"

By his tone, she could tell that was not the answer he had wanted to hear "Reiji won't let anyone from Inferno get close to her, and she's always with him. If I tried to break them apart, he'd probably put a bullet in my brain."

He laughed "So, Zwei has his own little pet, how cute."

His sarcastic tone annoyed her.

"I don't need you to separate them at all, just make sure they stay in the same area. That should be simple enough, right?"

Lizzie was at a loss for words. She had no idea which path to take because each lead to destruction. If she betrayed Reiji, she would be killed, and if she didn't comply with Scythe master, she would be killed.

"Yeah. I can make that happen."

"Good. Have a nice day Ms. Garland." he hung up.

Lizzie knew that by doing this she was digging her own grave, but she would rather be killed by someone who she cared about, rather than some psychopath's living doll.

'what would Clo do if Scythe master was doin this to her? Probably sleep with him.' she laughed.

Despite all that she had put her through, Lizzie missed her blonde haired friend. With her around, things were never boring in her life.

Reiji and Cal were out in the town shopping. Reiji had wanted to replace Cal's dress that was destroyed in the explosion. He also wanted to reward her for her first successful mission.

Cal hadn't told Reiji about the mysterious woman she saw on her mission. She knew how worried he was about her, and he didn't want to worry him anymore.

"Ooh! Reiji, may I have this one?" she held up the dress she had chosen. It was a light green dressed that matched her eyes perfectly.

Reiji couldn't help but notice how happy it made her. He nodded "It looks really nice, Cal."

They purchased the dress and she wore it out the store. Held on to Reiji's arm the entire time they walked down the street. People who saw them commented about how cute the two looked together. No one would have ever guessed that the two lovers who they laid their eyes on were trained killers.

The day was going fairly normally, much to Reiji's liking, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following them. He heard the same quiet footsteps walking behind him ever since he and Cal went out that day.

"Hey Reiji," Cal said "Do you think we can get something to eat?"

He smiled "Of course Cal. We'll go wherever you wanna go."

As they walked into the restaurant, Reiji heard the same footsteps walk in after him.

"So Cal, what do you want?"

"I think I'll have..." Reiji looked into Cal's eyes. She looked horrified.

"Cal?"

She didn't respond, she just continued to look at the figure behind Reiji.

He turned around to see what was bothering her, he never could have been prepared for what he saw.

"...Erin"

The girl smiled. This smile was all too familiar to him; she had shown her feigned happiness many times on their missions. "Hey Reiji, it's been a while, how've you been?"

He didn't answer. He held Cal close to him. If Ein decided to try and attack them, he would shield her.

"R...Reiji, she is..."

He was still in shock from seeing this phantom from his past. He had known that she was still alive, but he never thought he'd lay his eyes on her again.

"Cal, let's go." He ran out of the restaurant with her.

Ein followed after them. She was focused on the mission given to her by her master as she always was.

Reiji and Cal ran as fast as they could. They both knew that the only reason they would see her anywhere near them, was if she had been assigned to end their lives. They both were very well aware of her skills in killing, and both thought they couldn't face her without dying.

Every time Reiji turned his head, he saw her getting closer. He needed to find a secluded place where no one could see him, and no innocent people would get killed. Reiji turned the corner and ran along the back street.

He saw an abandoned warehouse a few feet ahead. He thought that place was better than nothing.

Cal wasn't sure what Reiji was planning. She thought that they were supposed to be running from the homicidal woman "Reiji...what are we doing?"

He didn't answer her. He was too busy waiting for his ex-partner to come after him.

The green haired girl stepped into the warehouse. Reiji drew his pistol.

"Erin, what are you doing here?"

She continued to walk foreword. Cal stayed Behind Reiji.

"I have no interest in you Reiji, my mission only concerns the girl."

"Why do you want Cal?"

She stayed silent "Erin! Answer me!"

"My name is Ein." she pulled out her revolver and pulled the trigger. She shot Reiji's forearm as well as his leg.

Reiji gritted his teeth as he winced in pain. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be shot. He fell to the floor and laid in the growing pool of his blood.

With the only threat to the completion of her mission immobilized, Ein now focused on Cal.

"Cal...run now..." Reiji felt his body weakening.

"I can't! You're hurt!" she cried as she held his hand "I'm not leaving you to die!"

Reiji's grip on her hand loosened. His vision started to become a blur, and Cal's words became inaudible.

Cal tried desperately to keep him awake, but all her efforts were wasted "Reiji, please don't die..."

"He won't. He's only in a state of shock from the bullet wounds."

Cal glared at the woman. Her eyes burned with the passion to murder her.

Ein progressed towards her target. Cal refused to run; she stared into the cold eyes of the demon that approached her.

Ein shot twice at Cal. Cal dogged the two bullets, pulled out her gun and began to fire. She shot five times at the woman, but every last one missed.

Ein shot the gun out of Cal's hands. Cal pain in her palms couldn't compare to her disappointment for letting this happen to her twice. She knew at her current level she couldn't win a gun fight with this woman, but she carefully kept track of how many times she shot at her. She knew that Ein would only have one bullet left, all she needed to do was keep the woman from reloading.

Cal ran towards her. Ein waited for the correct time to strike. She knew if she moved too quickly, she would miss valuable data that she had been sent to collect about the girl.

Cal was in close range. She grabbed Ein's arm before she pulled the trigger, and directed it upward. Ein's last bullet was wasted, and Cal kept her tenacious grip on her arm.

Using her free hand, Ein pushed Cal off of her. Cal caught herself before she fell and pulled out the knife she carried opposite her gun holster. She came at Ein trying incredibly hard to penetrate her body with the blade.

Ein was amazed by the girl's reaction time. She was not only able to keep her from reloading, but she came back with an attack right after her defensive strategy failed.

Cal succeeded in cutting Ein's arm. It wasn't very deep, but it did cause the wound to bleed heavily.

Ein thought it was time to go on the offensive. She blocked Cal's attack and tried to grab the knife from her hand. Cal moved her hand before the knife could be taken. Ein's palm was cut as a result of this. Cal was incredibly proud of herself, she was fighting the ex-phantom and winning. As Cal went for another attack, Ein grabbed her arm, and hit Cal's elbow in the opposite way it bends.

Cal knew her arm was broken, but her adrenaline rush stopped her from feeling the pain. She was determined to kill this woman, and wouldn't stop until she had completed that goal.

Ein studied her thoroughly. Not only did she have the resolve to kill, she also had the will to not stop her assault. She had assessed each of her battle skills and they all reflected this. She needed more training with a firearm, but her skills with a knife were beyond adequate. Her hand to hand combat skills were also fairly good. She could see Reiji put much time into training her. Had Cal's opponent been anyone else, her victory would have been assured before the fight commenced.

Cal came back at Ein. Ein had gathered all the research she needed; there was no need to go easy on her anymore. She met Cal's chest with a strike from her palm, and forced her to fall to the ground. Cal desperately tried to catch her breath.

"I've gotten all the information I need. I'm done here." Ein said as she walked away.

Cal had the burning desire to pursue her, but she knew getting Reiji to a hospital was more important. She watched as the woman walked out of the warehouse, she knew that it wouldn't be the last time that she saw the woman.

Reiji woke up in a hospital bed. His leg and arm were both bandaged. All he remembered was Ein shooting him, and falling unconscious. He felt so weak to let something like that happen so easily to him.

"Reiji!" Cal's voice brought him back to reality She wrapped her left arm around him "I'm so glad you're awake."

As he looked down at her, he noticed her right arm was in a cast and sling "Cal...Did you..."

"It's nothing serious."

"What happened to Erin?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"She got away..." Cal hung her head, ashamed of her defeat.

He knew she wouldn't be able to defeat someone who he couldn't, but the fact that she tried made him very proud. Reiji held her hand and wore his usual warm smile "It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe."

With those words, all doubt and fear was purged from her heart

The two relished in each other's company during their many weeks of recovery. Things were surprisingly quiet with Inferno. No deals were made, no assassination attempts occurred, it was almost as if Reiji and Cal were living normal lives.

Preview (Reiji voice)

Two years, two factories, and two Phantoms. With every bullet we fire, and every life we take, the more comfort we find in each other's protection. With her by my side, nothing can harm us...I wonder how long that feeling of security will last.

Author's note: Forgive me for my delay in updating, I've beenworking non-stop on my other 3 fanfics one of which is the other Phantom one, which will be released soon :). And on a sadder note, I lost all connection with these characters because I was getting into the other characters in my other fics...I actually thought about discontinuing this one...but after rewatching the anime I changed my mind. It's

Now about the chapter, I'm sorry that I couldn't make more happen, but I wanted to show the contrast between Cal's skills now, and the skills she'll have in the next chapter.

The next chapter well take place two years after this chapter does.

R&R, thank you for your comments, and I love you all :)

~Happy Murder~

P.S. I know McGuire's hair is a bluish grey color, but I prefer to say white :) cuz grey isn't as beautiful as white


	9. Sad announcement :

Address to all my readers. :'(

My dear readers, many of you have been able to detect this, but if you haven't I thought I should Inform you. I have lost all inspiration to write this story any longer :'(

But do not lose faith! Cuz I just need a moment and I'll get it back soon :) I thank all of you for reading and please check out my Phantom crossover called The Good Life.

~Happy Murder~


	10. GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN!

What you've all been waiting for!

I'M BACK BITCHES!

To all the supporters of the story I thank you so much for your patients and dealing with my bullcrap.

I lost all connection to the story because I forgot the reason I was writing it. I forgot that I wrote it because I loved this anime and I wanted people to know my love...plus I was bummed out cuz my biotch of an ex dumped my ass after I caught her cheating :D (yay cheating!)

So can ha guess what I did? I rewatched Phantom requiem for the phantom and my connection came back! Or at least I think it did...so what you've all been waiting for! (wishful thinking)

CHAPTER 9


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 9

In a dimly lit mansion, the only sound heard was the sound of automatic gunfire. Twenty-five armed men fired nonstop at the pillar that Reiji Azuma was using for cover.

He changed the magazine of his MP5 as he tried to look for an opening.

'Where the hell is she!' Reiji thought as he returned fire.

*Flashback*

McGuire stood before Reiji and Cal in the conference room. Reiji wore a three piece suit with a pink shirt, dark blue slacks with matching vest. Cal wore a similar outfit to the one that Reiji had worn for training. Black shirt covered by a red jacket, pants, and boots . Her long glorious golden hair draped down her back with the corners of her bangs down her front. Cal was now a full fledge assassin. She was the unofficial third Phantom of Inferno, otherwise known as Drei. She chose to use this moniker as a testament to her will to always follow Reiji just as the number three follows two.

They were called in to report for their next mission.

"This is a standard assassination. We've been persuading the Medici family to join Inferno. They're the leaders in drug trafficking in California and their monetary resources would have helped greatly."

Cal hardly paid any mind to the man. Her attention was more focused on twisting her hair around the length of her finger. Any mission involving Reiji and Cal always meant someone was the target for assassination, and that was all they really needed to know to do her job.

"However, they've refused every offer we've given them, so..."

"You want us to blow Mr. Medici guido brains out." Cal finished with a cocky grin on her face as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

McGuire nodded "Precisely."

"So how do you want us to do it?" Reiji asked as he sat back in his chair.

"Their compound is separated into two areas. The front being their drug factory where everything gets imported and shipped, and the main living quarters."

He pulled out a map of their facility "As you see, there is a five mile berth between the two buildings, and both are heavily guarded."

He pointed to the first building on the map "Drei, I want you to take out the factory. Spare no guard or worker." he back building "And Zwei you'll take out the Mr. Medici's family. Because he'll be encountering more guards, Drei, it's up to you to assist him once you've completed your objective."

She nodded "Got it."

*End Flashback*

Reiji's bullets penetrated the necks of five guards, but with every guard he killed, more seemed to appear. He couldn't do anything while he was pinned down behind a pillar. If he tried to change position, he would be killed, and if anyone of the guards broke off to attack him, they would run the risk of being killed. They were in a serious standoff with no good outcome in sight.

"Don't stop shooting! If we do, He'll kill us all!" The man in charge screamed. Magazine after magazine, the men fired every last bullet they had at the young Phantom.

As Reiji was about to reload, he heard something other than the sound of exploding gun powder and ricocheting bullets. He heard the sound of a roaring motor rapidly approaching. As soon as he faced the wall where the nose came from, Cal burst through the window.

Dust and debris scattered around. The lack of visibility caused mass confusion. Each guard was hesitant to pull the trigger because they each ran the risk of killing their comrades. Before the men could do anything, she pulled out two Mac 10s and began firing.

Reiji came from behind the pillar and fired at the guards who were coming to aid the ones under attack. As the numbers of enemies slowly began to dissipate, Reiji took his place by Cal's side "What took you so long?" He covered her back as she changed the clips in her weapons.

"I'm sorry, there was heavier resistance than I thought there would be."

The two walked up to the second floor of the mansion.

"Thanks for the help, Cal." he was truly grateful for her assistance. If it weren't for her, he would be unable to complete the missions he was given.

They knew the target was located in the last room down the long hallway. The saw one door burst open. A man dressed in a black suit, matching that of the guards, stood before directly in front of them with his pistol in hand.

"Get ready to die you bastards!" There was no time for the two to escape being the victim of his attack. As a contemptuous smile spread across his face, quickly noticed something unusual. There was a sharp pain at the base of his chin going up to the roof of his mouth, followed by the strong taste of iron and salt. The viscous red liquid began to seep from his mouth onto his chin. Bewildered, he looked to see what had happened. The blonde girl held a knife that had been embedded in his mouth. The trail of his blood streamed down to her forearm. With him immobilized, she slid the knife from the base of his chin and out his throat. All resistance was silenced, absolutely nothing stood in their way.

They ran their shoulders into the locked door until the wood gave in and broke down. The Medici leader and his family were cowering in the corner. His son was in between him and his wife as they held each other for comfort.

"Please, spare us." Mr. Medici said.

Reiji and Cal only stared at the man with dark intensity as he begged for his life.

"Inferno sent you two, right? Well tell them I'll do what they want...I'll join them. They use my dealing system any way they want.

Cal laughed "It's gonna be kind of hard to do that when all of your workers are dead."

Reiji pointed his gun at the man "It's nothing personal at all, it's only business." He pulled the trigger and watched as the blood soaked fragments of the man's head scattered across the carpet.

Cal finished off the wife and child.

The two never truly relished the thought of murder, but their lives depended on the deaths of others. If they had any hope of staying together, they needed to kill anyone that they were ordered to

With their mission complete they walked made their way out of the estate. Reiji and Cal have been partners for the past two years and have made a name for themselves all around the country. Their missions were always complete in a timely fashion, and they were Inferno's greatest bargaining tools.

"Come on, We need to report to Mr. McGuire."

Cal rolled her eyes "That guy is such a cocky asshole. Every time I see him I just wanna put a bullet between his eyes."

Reiji understood the feeling completely.

The two assassins got onto Cal's motorcycle and rode off into the shadows of the night.

With the two assassins, one with an extreme will to kill, and the other being a hot tempered, trigger happy murderer, Inferno had almost total control of the west coast and the Midwest. Very few families posed a threat to them, and even fewer wanted to get involved with them. Only one thing stood in their way, and that was Scythe master.

Scythe Master had been aligning himself with many strong crime families. Every family he brought together was one that Inferno had sought to annex. Scythe had been assigning his puppet to kill as many of Inferno's assassins as she could. Whenever Reiji and Cal looked for the original phantom, she was nowhere to be found. The only trace of her presence she left were bullet holes and dead bodies.

Cal still had a personal score to settle with Ein for shooting Reiji, and she had every intention of killing her.

After giving their lengthy report to their superior, Reiji and Cal were finally able to rest and enjoy themselves. Their time at home was the only time they actually enjoyed, because any other time they were together they needed to assassinate someone.

Cal had her legs on the couch as she laid her head on Reiji's lap. The constant missions left her drained of any energy. Reiji loved it when Cal rested on him. It gave him the opportunity to admire the beauty of her fully developed form. He stroked her beautiful golden locks as he brushed them off of her face.

He tried his best to be gentle and not wake her. As he went back to stoke her cheek, she grabbed his hand before it made contact. Reiji was worried he had bothered her, but his feelings were put to rest as she brought his hand to her lips.

She lifted her head up from his lap, and seductively smiled. She brought her lips to his, and let her tongue pierce through. As Reiji was taken by the euphoria given by the kiss, she broke away.

The disappointment was apparent on Reiji's face. Cal loved seeing him like this. She wasn't a sadistic person, but teasing Reiji excited her more than anything else.

She kissed the vein on his neck, and began to lick the length of it. Reiji once more was lost to the pleasure. Cal slowly brought her hand up the leg of his pants to the bulging member trapped beneath.

She brought her mouth away from his neck after she had left her mark, and straddled his waist.

"It's been a while since we did this, hasn't it?" She said as she unzipped the fly of Reiji's pants.

He reached his hand under her bra and massaged her large, soft breasts "It doesn't matter now." He huskily whispered in her ear.

She pulled down her panties revealing her smooth, wet sex.

Cal could already feel herself close to her limit. They both had been longing for this; they hardly had any time to be intimate with their constant work.

Just as Reiji was about to enter his beloved Cal, they heard a loud knock on the door.

Cal gritted her teeth as the knocks grew louder "FUCK!" she cried out as she dismounted Reiji's lap. She grabbed her bath robe that lay on the couch. She threw the door open as the next wave of knocks began "What the fuck do you want!" Cal hadn't even paid taken a moment to look at the person standing at their door.

"...Hello to you to." Lizzie said, still in light shock from the blonde girl "Sorry if I interrupted anything, but we have new orders. Scythe's been spotted at this club downtown."

Cal laughed "I never thought Scythe was the type for the club scene."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at the hot tempered girl's sarcastic comment "The club is run by the Yotsuba family. They're one of the leading weapons dealers in the country. If Scythe joins with them, then we may need to kiss our asses goodbye."

Reiji always found the way Inferno worked to be extremely shady and underhanded, even for a crime syndicate. Whenever they are unable to get what they desire, their first reaction is a destroy it, making sure no one else can benefit from it. His job, and his life, many times seemed confusing. The only clear part of his job was to kill.

'Be a tool, your only job is to function...'

The green haire'd girl's words rang through his head as they did all those years ago.

Reiji looked down at the bullets scattered across the coffee table. Memories of his early training played through his head. The only reason he was alive was because of her, and now it was his assignment to kill her.

"Eren..."

Cal draped her arms on top of Reiji's shoulders "You okay?"

Reiji's mind was taken out of the past, and back to reality "Yeah...I'm fine."

She nuzzled her head against Reiji, her cheek gently grazing hers "Don't worry, we can finish when we get back." with a wink, and a light kiss on his cheek, she pulled away to let him suit up.

The issue of Ein's execution weighed heavily on Reiji's mind. At one point in his life, he was willing to risk everything to save hers, and now it was his duty to undo all of his efforts. As he looked out at the night sky, he envisioned her face. The face that radiated confusion, and deep rooted pain.

'I'm sorry...Eren.'

Kazuhiro Yotsuba sat behind his desk in a white suit with a red tie neatly tucked beneath his suit jacket. He had long black hair which was fashioned into a ponytail, and poorly shaved facial hair.

His two body guards stood at both his left and right. The two carried the Yotsuba family's best semiautomatic weaponry. If the deal went wrong with Scythe Master they had every intention using them, but as of now they were mostly for show. Scythe's reputation in the underground as the only man to betray inferno and live, made him a very sought after ally for families who had no aspirations or intentions of joining Inferno.

"Mr. Giuseppe, you honestly expect us to agree to the terms of your contract?"

The white coated man smirked as he looked into Kazuhiro Yotsuba's distrustful eyes "Believe me when I say all of your contributions will be repaid with swift and decisive results."

The crime boss looked at him as if he was insane "I fully understand why you'd the guns and explosives, but why the hell are you asking for six young women?"

Scythe removed his purple cap and sunglasses that he had used as a disguise "Sir, all of my requests are absolute requirements if you would like to indulge my services. Seeing as how I am the only with detailed information on Inferno's members, as well as their capabilities, I would think these conditions are more than fair."

He knew he had these people from the moment he walked inside their door. Kazuhiro Yotsuba was not one to share his family's power with anyone. He would rather die than sell everything generations of Yotsuba men had given their lives to create. On the other hand, he didn't plan on dying. After the assassinations on the night Tony Stone was murdered, he was the only one outside of Inferno who still had power in the west coast, if be had any hope of keeping that power he'd have to give into Scythe Master's demands.

"Fine." Yotsuba reluctantly said "But I still don't see why you need the women." He stroked his scruffy beard 'I'm starting to think this guy is just some sick pervert...'

"The women are a requirement to fulfill my grand army." he could tell Yotsuba wanted to learn more about what he had planned.

"Ein was merely a prototype, though she had served her purpose quite well. Zwei, who currently is Inferno's Phantom was able to surpass even Ein's ability. The unofficial Drei, Zwei's partner, possesses the same skills as he. These next six will be my finest work I promise you. It's all for your protection."

Kazuhiro sighed as he shook his head "If I don't see the results you promise, your ass is..."

"Choose your next words very wisely." he interrupted the man "Like it or not, your very life rests in the palm of my hand. If you provoke me or kill me, the result will be the same. You will die at the hands of Inferno."

Kazuhiro was more than tempted to order the arrogant white haired man's death, but he knew his words were true. He had no other choice but to follow the man. He gritted his teeth "Come with me...I'll get you everything you need."

Scythe had always been excellent when it came to predicting people's reactions. It was one of his many ways of keeping the upper hand in the underworld, a world he was planning on aging total control of.

"Are you sure this will work...?" Reiji asked.

He and Cal were in the line to enter the club where there target was located. Reiji wore a white, almost see-through short sleeve button down shirt with his six pack perfectly exposed. Around his neck he wore a gold chain, and on his wrist, a diamond band watch. His pants were baggy, but perfectly concealed his pistol and knife which he carried in his pockets.

Cal was dressed in a skimpy light blue dress that exposed most of her cleavage, and the bottom half exposed her right leg. She had her pistol strapped to her left leg. It left a slight impression on her dress, but she figured that the dress was distracting enough to ward off the people's attention.

"Don't worry." she giggled "All we need to do is act like natural and we won't be noticed."

"...In clothes like these we won't be noticed?"

"You've never been to a club before, have you Reiji?" His ignorance was hilarious to her. Reiji blushed as his companion laughed at his expense.

They quickly approached the bouncer who stood outside the door. He was practically drooling over himself when he saw the pair in front of him.

With shaky hands, he opened the door to let the two enter.

"Wow." Reiji said "That was much easier than I expected." Though he was glad their infiltration went off smoothly, part of him still did want to gauge the man's eyes out for checking Cal out.

"Yeah, I told you your outfit was fine."

"What do you mean?"

Cal snickered "Let's just say, his eyes weren't on me."

Reiji grimaced as he realized exactly what Cal was trying to imply.

"But enough talk, let's split up. Call me if you find anything out." And with that, she took off into the smoke and flashing lights.

Reiji had no idea where to begin asking around. He profiled the entire room and nobody looked like they knew anything, or would be willing to give intel about a notorious gangster in the underground. As he made his way around the crowds of gyrating young men and women, he looked to find someone who fit the characteristic of shady, underground type.

Before he could look any farther, he felt something cold and hard pressed against his lower back. He quickly turned to see what it was, then froze.

A chill was sent down his spine as he looked into they eyes of a ghost from his past. Her cold grey eyes looked upon him, a look that he knew meant certain death.

As the barrel of her .44 magnum dug into his back.

"We need to talk." She spoke in her usual monotone voice, and began to push Reiji.

To be continued

Author's note: first of all, I wanna thank Mo Eazy & Slick Ciggy.

Mo your feedback was honestly my inspiration to continue.

And Slick, you're just awesome :D

And lastly I wanna thank the rower! Cuz I couldn't have done it without him (If you don't get the reference, then don't ask)

But here's where the bad news comes in, the next chapter is most likely the last chapter, ...but because I'm in school so I might not be able to update soon...so if you still have some Phantom craving after this helping, READ MY PHANTOM CROSSOVER WHICH EVERYONE FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES BUT NEVER COMMENTS ON T~T

So yup! guess what time it is? PREVIEW TIME!

Cue Reiji Voice!

Those eyes...those goddamn eyes! Every time I look into them...I lose all drive. Whenever I look at her...I can't help but remember I once almost sacrificed myself to save her...what do I do...if it comes down to it...I don't know if I have the strength to kill her...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 10

Reiji was the complete mercy of his ex-partner, trainer, as well as the woman who he almost died for. If he made even the slightest of movements, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to end his life. He knew from experience and missions that she had no problem with public executions, not that she had any choice in those matters. She continued to push him at a slow pace as not to arouse any suspicion. With the way she was closely clinging to him with an expression of careless joy, no one would have been able to guess that she had a concealed weapon ready and aimed for the young man's spinal cord. Her skills at blending in have always been masterful.

He felt her nuzzle her head onto his arm. The more he let his mind dwell on past missions, as well as their short past together, the more he lost confidence in his abilities. He knew he possessed the strength to kill her, but he didn't know if he possessed the will. His willingness and drive to kill was always what Scythe Master admired most about his second creation, but when pitted against someone he genuinely cared for, he began to doubt himself.

Ein led her hostage into a quiet room with no rout of escape besides the door behind them.

The moment the door shut, she secured the lock, Reiji walked to the wall opposite her. He stared at her expressionless face, and tried not to show any signs of weakness "Caught me, now what? You gonna kill me?" He hoped that Ein couldn't see through his front.

"If my goal was to kill you, I'd have done it by now. I just wanted to talk." She placed her revolver back into the holster.

"Master intends on having both you and your partner executed at exactly twelve o'clock midnight tomorrow. He plans to bombard your living quarters with barrage of bullets, and then the setting fire to the remains of the house and everything in it."

Reiji remained silent. There was no proper way to respond to hearing that his life would be ended when he least expected it. All he could do was lock eyes with his ex-partner.

"How did he find out where we lived?"

"The newest addition to Inferno, the Gotoh family, have powerful members who are loyal to my master."

He balled his fist tightly "Well then, show me where Scythe is." his utter hatred for the man who had stripped him of his life, was apparent in his tone "If I kill him now, I can..."

"That won't work." Ein coldly stated "He currently has bodyguards protecting him. These men are well trained. I know if it was a one on one fight, you would have no problem killing them with hardly any effort, but with the number of guards he has, you would only end up a casualty."

Reiji tried to think of any option he had left. Any option that would free him from the despotic rule Scythe still maintained over his life, but he could think of nothing. With the people he had working for him within Inferno; there was no place he could go without him knowing. He couldn't keep putting himself in a situation where each of his locations was known by his enemy, and more importantly, he couldn't put Cal in that type of danger.

"I also over heard him speaking...He's planning to have me replaced..." Ein said in almost saddened tone.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Ein began to slowly walk closer to him. Though he wanted to, he couldn't move his hand to draw his weapon. Staring into the cold, grey abyss of her eyes rendered him motionless, as is she had placed a hypnotic spell over his body. Ein took the frozen Phantom into her arms. This was extremely out of her usual character. She was never one to show any sign of emotion, care, or of being human, but there she stood with Reiji with in her arms.

She rested her head on his chest, as she had done years ago on that faithful night he had saved her life.

"It's because...I don't want you to die, Reiji..." her tears began to stain his shirt "Without you, my life would have absolutely no meaning." she curled her fingers on his back "To atone for putting you through so much when we were partners, whatever chance I had to save your life, I took."

"Liar..." He tried to sound more odious, but his care for her was conflicting with his mind "If you were really trying to keep me safe, why did you attack Cal and I two years ago? Putting a bullet in me and breaking her arm wasn't exactly protecting us."

Ein pulled away from Reiji, and looked at him with her glistening eyes "My mission was to assess the skills of Inferno's Phantom in training. If the current Phantom tried to interfere, I was ordered to kill him...Master was watching everything...incapacitating you was the only way so spare your life." she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold any grudge against her. He knew she was not drawn into this life by choice. Just like him, she was forced against her will by her sociopathic master.

"What should we do?" He asked.

Ein steadily regained her composure "Tomorrow night, as soon as the sun sets, meet me in front of the place it all started. If you leave the lights on in your house, Master's men won't expect you to be out." Slowly, she turned away and walked toward the exit.

Reiji was completely frozen. Thought after thought, memory after memory ran through his mind. He didn't know if the heartfelt confession she gave was genuine, or just another act of hers.

"Wait..." he weakly called out to hers as her hand touched the doorknob.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

His question was only answered by disconcerting silence. "How do I know you're telling the truth about what Scythe is doing!?"

Ein remained silent "Answer me!"

"You don't know." she replied in her light monotone voice. "But either way, it's not like you have much of a choice. Right now you only have two options, trust me, or trust Master." With those last chilling words, she left him to his own worries.

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With her alluring charm, as well as her physical assets, Cal was able to get more than enough information out of the drunken masses of men that approached her with delusions of getting lucky. Though most was useless drunken babble, she was able to get some information about what Scythe and the Yotsuba's new partnership. The only thing she truly needed to find out was the strained trust the two shared. She knew all Inferno needed to do at this point, was continue to drive the wedge that already existed between the two.

She walked past the dancing crowed which seemed hypnotized by the lasers and flashing lights. All that was left to do was find her partner, and tell him what she found out.

Her eyes repeatedly scanned each face of the crowd; none of them matched the man she was looking for. She knew he wouldn't have left without giving her some sort of notification. 'Maybe he's just intentionally laying low; after all, this place is crawling with Scythe's cronies...'

The moment that thought passed her mind, she saw it. The vision that had haunted her memory like a phantom since the day she had first encountered it. Though she wore a form of disguise, the dark green hair and cold grey eyes were unmistakable.

She gritted her teeth and rapidly made her way toward the woman, not caring for the people she pushed out of her way.

She subtly pulled out her pistol as she swiftly crept behind the woman who was responsible for a great deal of her lover's pain.

Cal was merely inches away from the original Phantom. Images of what she could have possibly done to Reiji raced through his mind. Every fiber of her being wanted to blow a new orifice into Ein's head, whether she had harmed her partner or not. Just as Cal was about to make contact with Ein, she felt the sharp object pressed against her throat.

She was so blinded by her murderous intent and sheer ambition, that she never noticed when Ein drew her knife. Even though she had tried to be a stealthy as possible, Ein had already taken notice of her movements.

The two assassins were in a complete deadlock. If Cal pulled the trigger of her weapon, her throat would be slit, and if Ein made any move with her blade, she would be shot at point blank range.

They stared intently into each other's eyes, both ready to strike with if they felt the slightest movement.

"Cal...It's okay." The familiar voice rang through her ears. She turned her head when she felt the knife being removed from the location of her carotid artery.

"But...Reiji..."

Reiji shook his head "For now, we need to trust her. She's the only way we're gonna survive to the end of the week."

Cal reluctantly re holstered her gun. Trusting Ein was the last thing she wanted to do, but she knew if Reiji was willing to trust someone as vile as her, then there must have been good reasoning behind it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

The three Phantoms were silent from the moment they stepped into the compound shared by Reiji and Cal. The first and second Phantom packed essential weapons needed for their quick escape. Cal sat on the sofa, viciously eyeing every movement Ein made. No matter how much she trusted Reiji, she couldn't trust Ein, not after what she did to them.

"Are you going to pack, or just sit there and glare at me." Ein slightly sarcastically addressed the blonde.

Cal bore her fingernails into the arm of the couch. She desperately fought the urge to shoot the green haired girl where she stood, "Don't act like you're better than me!" She demanded, "We don't need you! We can always look to Inferno for protection, and you're lucky we don't turn your ass over to them!"

Ein's emotionless expression never faltered, "You know if any of that were true, you wouldn't have let me in here. You know as well as I do that Inferno would never do for you as you've done for them. They might even assist in the kill."

Cal's confidence in her previous statement was severely brought down.

"As long as there are lost souls in the world, Inferno will have new Phantoms. You're just the third in the series."

Though she hated to admit it, she was right. Inferno was the reason they were almost killed in the first place. Hell, in her first encounter with the crime syndicate, she was held as collateral. They were no more than disposable goods. And no amount of death threats would change that.

She stood from her seat, and walked over to the weapons storage closet. With clenched teeth, she withdrew both weapons and ammunition while brooding in her defeat. No matter how right Ein was, she still had no stomach for her, but for now, all grudges needed to be put aside. The only thing she cared about was her and Reiji's safety, and if they needed Ein to achieve that, then so be it.

To be continued...

Preview

(Reiji voice)

On the run again, with everything shrouded in uncertainty. Everything, my future with Cal and Ein's survival hang in the balance.

Neither Inferno nor Scythe's men will stop at claiming our lives. All we can do is fight. Fight to survive to see the next day, fight to breathe the next breath...let's just pray that out next won't be our last.

Author's note: okay first off I am SO SO SO sorry it's been almost a year since I updated (School and stuff), but I already planned out the ending and the next chapter will really be the last. We'll see what will become of Ein, Zwei, and Drei, and we'll get the conclusion of my first story :) I'm excited, I hope you are too.

I promise that the next chapter will be action packed and full of the dramatic Phantom-ness and will be a true ending to the series that is one of the greatest anime series ever.

~Happy Murder~ and Merry Christmas


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